---
title: "Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty: 450 ms"
description: "Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty: typically 450 ms, really 400 ms to 600 ms. What is measured, and why it counts as a physical limit."
url: https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/penalty-kick/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty

**Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty: 400 ms–600 ms**

Physical limit — the time available, not a human figure

A well-struck penalty reaches the goal in under half a second, and a dive to the corner takes about 600 milliseconds from a standing start. The arithmetic says the keeper must commit before the ball is struck, which is exactly what they do — they are reading the run-up, the plant foot and the hips, not the ball. This is why a penalty taker who waits for the keeper to move wins, and why the rules restrict how much the keeper may move first.

## The numbers

- **Typical:** 450 ms
- **Range:** 400 ms to 600 ms
- **What it is:** Physical limit — the time available, not a human figure
- **What is measured:** Ball flight time from 12 yards at a typical struck-penalty speed.

## Why this is a physical limit

This is how long the event gives you, not how long a person takes. It is here because comparing the two is the only way to see whether reacting is possible at all.

## Where it sits against everything else

*Reflexes at the top, reactions in the middle, design values off the end of the scale.*

- Vestibulo-ocular reflex — Reflex: 10 ms
- Knee-jerk (patellar) reflex — Reflex: 22 ms
- Latency added by your screen and mouse — Physical limit: 35 ms
- Blink reflex — Reflex: 40 ms
- Withdrawal reflex — Reflex: 90 ms
- Time a jab takes to land — Physical limit: 110 ms
- Sprint start reaction — Reaction: 140 ms
- Simple tactile reaction time — Reaction: 155 ms
- Simple auditory reaction time — Reaction: 170 ms
- Professional gamer reaction time — Reaction: 190 ms
- Formula One start reaction — Reaction: 200 ms
- Simple visual reaction time — Reaction: 250 ms
- How reaction time changes with age — Reaction: 250 ms
- What sleep loss does to reaction time — Reaction: 300 ms
- What alcohol does to reaction time — Reaction: 320 ms
- Recognition reaction time — Reaction: 340 ms
- Choice reaction time — Reaction: 380 ms
- Time to hit a 95 mph fastball — Physical limit: 400 ms
- Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty — Physical limit: 450 ms
- Time to play a 90 mph delivery — Physical limit: 500 ms
- Driver reaction to an expected event — Reaction: 850 ms

## Sport

| What | Typical | Range | Kind |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Time a jab takes to land | 110 ms | 80 ms–150 ms | Physical limit |
| Sprint start reaction | 140 ms | 120 ms–180 ms | Reaction |
| Formula One start reaction | 200 ms | 150 ms–300 ms | Reaction |
| Time to hit a 95 mph fastball | 400 ms | 375 ms–425 ms | Physical limit |
| Time to play a 90 mph delivery | 500 ms | 450 ms–550 ms | Physical limit |

## Common questions

### How long is time a goalkeeper has on a penalty?

Typically 450 ms, with a real range of 400 ms to 600 ms. Ball flight time from 12 yards at a typical struck-penalty speed.

### Is that a reflex or a reaction?

Physical limit — the time available, not a human figure. This is how long the event gives you, not how long a person takes. It is here because comparing the two is the only way to see whether reacting is possible at all.

## Related pages

- [Time a jab takes to land](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/boxing-jab/)
- [Sprint start reaction](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/sprint-start-reaction/)
- [Formula One start reaction](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/f1-start-reaction/)
- [Time to hit a 95 mph fastball](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/baseball-fastball/)
- [Time to play a 90 mph delivery](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/cricket-fast-bowler/)
- [A reflex is not a reaction](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/reflex-vs-reaction/)
- [Stopping distance at every speed](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/stopping-distance/)
- [Measure your own reaction time](https://atoneplace.net/tools/reaction-time-test/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)